The Woodlands Strykers’ Kevin Santana, right, celebrates a run with teammate Brian Smith during Wednesday night’s doubleheader against The Texas Marshals. The Strykers lost Game 1, dropping a 6-3 decision.

The Woodlands Strykers’ Kevin Santana, right, celebrates a run with teammate Brian Smith during Wednesday night’s doubleheader against The Texas Marshals. The Strykers lost Game 1, dropping a 6-3 decision.

Photo: Staff Photo By Eric Swist

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The Woodlands Strykers’ Kevin Santana reaches for the ball on a play during Wednesday night’s doubleheader against the Texas Marshals. The Strykers lost the first game 6-3.

The Woodlands Strykers’ Kevin Santana reaches for the ball on a play during Wednesday night’s doubleheader against the Texas Marshals. The Strykers lost the first game 6-3.

The Woodlands Strykers’ Will Hibbs fires off a pitch during Wednesday night's doubleheader against Marshal.

The Woodlands Strykers’ Will Hibbs fires off a pitch during Wednesday night's doubleheader against Marshal.

Photo: Staff Photo By Eric Swist

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Strykers drop to 2-8 with defeat

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THE WOODLANDS — The Woodlands Strykers lost the first game of a doubleheader against the Texas Marshals Wednesday night, falling 6-3 in seven innings at The Woodlands Christian Academy.

The Strykers (2-8) collected as many hits as the Marshals (4-7), but their failure to string productive at-bats together resulted in the unfavorable outcome.

“For some reason, we just can’t figure it out,” infielder Kevin Santana said. “We’re just trying too hard. We need to calm down and just play the game, basically.”

The Strykers jumped on the scoreboard first, plating Landon Merka on a fielder’s choice groundout from Ricky Sanchez for a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Merka, who got things started with a single, advanced to third base on a double from Santana, allowing Sanchez to then pick up the RBI.

After breezing through a 1-2-3 first inning, The Woodlands starting pitcher Nolan Riggs allowed two hits and three walks in the second that allowed the Marshals to take a 3-1 advantage.

“I felt all right in the first inning, but the second inning kind of got away from me and then from then on, it was all just downhill,” Riggs said. “I just felt kind of sluggish today, and nothing really worked for me.”

The Strykers answered back in the bottom of the frame, as Connor Kalisky came home on a hit-and-run RBI single from Conner Fikes, cutting the lead to 3-2.

But the Marshals wouldn’t go away, and Chabrielle Pizzarro led off the top of the fourth with a solo home run to left-center field for the 4-2 lead.

After Riggs was yanked from the game, the visitors continued to build their advantage in the inning as Zachery Marberry scored on a sacrifice fly from Ben McElroy to make the score 5-2.

A wild pitch from Strykers reliever Zach Heard then handed Texas its sixth run of the ballgame as Greg Martens came in to score.

Kevin Santana sent his second home run of the season over the left-center field wall in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 6-3, but it was too little too late.

“Every run counts, so I wasn’t trying to do much with that at-bat, just put the ball in place so I could get my team started and just get them going,” Santana said.

Riggs lasted just three full innings on the mound, surrendering four hits, four walks and six earned runs.

Heard finished out the game and gave up three hits in four innings.

Santana, who went 2 for 4 with a homer and a double, was the only Strykers player to collect more than one hit.